1 Kings 1:5-18

1:5 Now Adonijah, son of David and Haggith, ¹  was promoting himself, ²  boasting, ³  “I will be king!” He managed to acquire ⁴  chariots and horsemen, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard. ⁵  1:6 (Now his father had never corrected ⁶  him ⁷  by saying, “Why do you do such things?” He was also very handsome and had been born right after Absalom. ⁸ ) 1:7 He collaborated ⁹  with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they supported ¹⁰  him. ¹¹  1:8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s elite warriors ¹²  did not ally themselves ¹³  with Adonijah. 1:9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened steers at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, ¹⁴  as well as all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 1:10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the elite warriors, ¹⁵  or his brother Solomon.

1:11 Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Has it been reported to you ¹⁶  that Haggith’s son Adonijah has become king behind our master David’s back? ¹⁷  1:12 Now ¹⁸  let me give you some advice as to how ¹⁹  you can save your life and your son Solomon’s life. 1:13 Visit ²⁰  King David and say to him, ‘My master, O king, did you not solemnly promise ²¹  your servant, “Surely your son Solomon will be king after me; he will sit on my throne”? So why has Adonijah become king?’ 1:14 While ²²  you are still there speaking to the king, I will arrive ²³  and verify your report.” ²⁴ 

1:15 So Bathsheba visited the king in his private quarters. ²⁵  (The king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) 1:16 Bathsheba bowed down on the floor before ²⁶  the king. The king said, “What do you want?” 1:17 She replied to him, “My master, you swore an oath to your servant by the Lord your God, ‘Solomon your son will be king after me and he will sit on my throne.’ 1:18 But now, look, Adonijah has become king! But you, ²⁷  my master the king, are not even aware of it! ²⁸ 

1 Kings 2:13-25

2:13 Haggith’s son Adonijah visited Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come in peace?” He answered, “Yes.” ²⁹  2:14 He added, ³⁰  “I have something to say to you.” She replied, “Speak.” 2:15 He said, “You know that the kingdom ³¹  was mine and all Israel considered me king. ³²  But then the kingdom was given to my brother, for the Lord decided it should be his. ³³  2:16 Now I’d like to ask you for just one thing. Please don’t refuse me.” ³⁴  She said, “Go ahead and ask.” ³⁵  2:17 He said, “Please ask King Solomon if he would give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife, for he won’t refuse you.” ³⁶  2:18 Bathsheba replied, “That’s fine, ³⁷  I’ll speak to the king on your behalf.”

2:19 So Bathsheba visited King Solomon to speak to him on Adonijah’s behalf. The king got up to greet ³⁸  her, bowed to her, and then sat on his throne. He ordered a throne to be brought for the king’s mother, ³⁹  and she sat at his right hand. 2:20 She said, “I would like to ask you for just one small favor. ⁴⁰  Please don’t refuse me.” ⁴¹  He said, ⁴²  “Go ahead and ask, my mother, for I would not refuse you.” 2:21 She said, “Allow Abishag the Shunammite to be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife.” 2:22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why just request Abishag the Shunammite for him? ⁴³  Since he is my older brother, you should also request the kingdom for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

2:23 King Solomon then swore an oath by the Lord, “May God judge me severely, ⁴⁴  if Adonijah does not pay for this request with his life! ⁴⁵  2:24 Now, as certainly as the Lord lives (he who made me secure, allowed me to sit on my father David’s throne, and established a dynasty ⁴⁶  for me as he promised), Adonijah will be executed today!” 2:25 King Solomon then sent ⁴⁷  Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he killed Adonijah. ⁴⁸ 

[1:5]  ¹ tn Heb “son of Haggith,” but since this formula usually designates the father (who in this case was David), the translation specifies that David was Adonijah’s father.

[1:5]  ² tn Heb “lifting himself up.”

[1:5]  ³ tn Heb “saying.”

[1:5]  ⁴ tn Or “he acquired for himself.”

[1:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “to run ahead of him.”

[1:6]  ⁶ tn Or “disciplined.”

[1:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “did not correct him from his days.” The phrase “from his days” means “from his earliest days,” or “ever in his life.” See GKC 382 §119.w, n. 2.

[1:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “and she gave birth to him after Absalom.” This does not imply they had the same mother; Absalom’s mother was Maacah, not Haggith (2 Sam 3:4).

[1:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “his words were.”

[1:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “helped after” (i.e., stood by).

[1:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Adonijah.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:8]  ¹² tn Or “bodyguard” (Heb “mighty men”).

[1:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “were not.”

[1:9]  ¹⁴ tc The ancient Greek version omits this appositional phrase.

[1:10]  ¹⁵ tn Or “bodyguard” (Heb “mighty men”).

[1:11]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Have you not heard?”

[1:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and our master David does not know.”

[1:12]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “now, come.” The imperative of הָלַךְ (halakh) is here used as an introductory interjection. See BDB 234 s.v. חָלַךְ.

[1:12]  ¹⁹ tn Or “so that.”

[1:13]  ²⁰ tn Heb “come, go to.” The imperative of הָלַךְ (halakh) is here used as an introductory interjection. See BDB 234 s.v. חָלַךְ.

[1:13]  ²¹ tn Or “swear an oath to.”

[1:14]  ²² tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), which here draws attention to Nathan’s concluding word of assurance and support. For this use of the word, see HALOT 252 s.v. הִנֵּה.

[1:14]  ²³ tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will come after you.”

[1:14]  ²⁴ tn Heb “fill up [i.e., confirm] your words.”

[1:15]  ²⁵ tn Or “bedroom.”

[1:16]  ²⁶ tn Heb “bowed low and bowed down to.”

[1:18]  ²⁷ tc Instead of עַתָּה (’attah, “now”) many Hebrew mss, along with the Old Greek, Syriac Peshitta, and Latin Vulgate, have the similar sounding independent pronoun אַתָּה (’attah, “you”). This reading is followed in the present translation.

[1:18]  ²⁸ tn Heb “you do not know [about it].”

[2:13]  ²⁹ tn Heb “[in] peace.”

[2:14]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and he said.”

[2:15]  ³¹ tn Or “kingship.”

[2:15]  ³² tn Heb “set their face to me to be king.”

[2:15]  ³³ tn Heb “and the kingdom turned about and became my brother’s, for from the Lord it became his.”

[2:16]  ³⁴ tn Heb “Do not turn back my face.”

[2:16]  ³⁵ tn Heb “She said, ‘Speak!’”

[2:17]  ³⁶ tn Heb “Say to Solomon the king, for he will not turn back your face, that he might give to me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife.”

[2:18]  ³⁷ tn Heb “[It is] good!”

[2:19]  ³⁸ tn Or “meet.”

[2:19]  ³⁹ tn Heb “he set up a throne for the mother of the king.”

[2:20]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “I’d like to make just one request of you.”

[2:20]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “Do not turn back my face.”

[2:20]  ⁴² tn Heb “and the king said to her.”

[2:22]  ⁴³ tn Heb “for Adonijah.”

[2:23]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “So may God do to me, and so may he add.”

[2:23]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “if with his life Adonijah has not spoken this word.”

[2:24]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “house.”

[2:25]  ⁴⁷ tn The Hebrew text adds, “by the hand of.”

[2:25]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and he struck him and he died.”